2012 BMW 328i Turbo

Dyno videos are usually worth little more than the fire and sound produced by the car as it revs--variability in conditions, equipment, and setup can make translating the results to general terms difficult or impossible. But a new dyno video of the 2012 BMW 328i raises an interesting possibility. It may have more horsepower than BMW claims. Rated at 240 horsepower and 255 pound-feet or torque from the factory, the new 328i's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder should put somewhere between 192-204 horsepower to the wheels. But a dyno test by European Auto Source posted to the F30 Post forums shows a 328i laying down 226 horsepower and 230 pound-feet of torque. Working backwards, that hints at up to 265 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque at the crank--in other words, the engine might be underrated by 25 or more horsepower. That's more than 10 percent. While it's not uncommon for engines to be underrated from the factory, it's a boon to 328i owners and potential owners. It's also a testament to BMW's EfficientDynamics system of technologies, which still manage to extract an impressive EPA rating of 36 mpg from the turbo four. Our real-world testing of the car has backed up those figures. Of course, this one car could be a freak example of the breed, or the dyno could be mis-calibrated, or any number of other variables could be skewing the results. Having driven the turbo four on track, however, we tend to believe the results. It's a great engine, and well-suited to the 3-Series platform.